Not too long ago I got a call from a frantic woman who was hosting a small bridal show downtown. Apparently, the baker who was providing the cake could not be reached (bells and whistles start going off in my head). I got this call after 6pm, and she needed a cake, any cake, as a donation, for the next morning. She tried to entice me by saying over 20 brides would be tasting and see my cake. I am all for more folks tasting my cake and seeing my work, but I had just completed and delivered two labor intensive wedding cakes and had my own bridal show to attend and prep for the following day.
I had a customer who contacted me several times about a small party cake. In my mind, she was a bit obsessive about a small cake. She stopped by to drop something off for the cake, and we chatted for a bit. It was at this point I realized why she was checking in on me. She had ordered a cake in a previous year from someone who was opening her own cake business. She decided to help her out and placed an order, but never got a cake after paying and repeated phone calls. Another year she placed an order somewhere else, and while I don't remember the specific she was disappointed again and was without the ordered cake.
The moral of the stories? Pick out a baker who is reputable. They may be more expensive than that person on craigslist, but you won't be scrambling for a cake at the last minute.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
No news is good news
I always wonder what my customers thought of their cake. With most special occasion cakes, I get to see the customer's reaction at pickup/delivery, but with most wedding cakes, the only reaction I get, if any, is from the wait staff or venue manager. Sometimes I get to see the bride, groom, or MOB, but it's pretty rare.
I have heard that some cake designers send each customer, not only brides/grooms, a thank you card for being part of their day/celebration and ask them for a review on google and/or weddingwire. I have heard some even offer a coupon or discount off a future purchase for a positive review on these sites. I am not either one of these folks.
While the thank you notes to customers seems like a nice gesture and supports good customer service, I just don't have the time, money, or desire to write out 2-6 thank you cards, address them, and mail them on a weekly basis. In addition to that, I just don't see the point. I don't expect a thank card from Lowe's or Target when I make a purchase from them. And yes, I understand it's different as you get to know some of the brides/clients very well and it's a special event, but I guess the practice just seems odd to me. I am sure it's my personality and dislike of thank you cards in general (I always tell folks not to send me thank you cards... I know they are thank you and I wouldn't have given them a gift/meal/whatever if I didn't want to and think they would be grateful) or maybe it is just my hatred of writing. Regardless, it's just not something I do or plan on doing and I guess I hope my work is enough to have them come back
As for "paying" for reviews, I just think it is sleezy. I want customers to leave reviews because they want to, not because they will get a free dozen cupcakes or whatever. How many of us have filled out a survey, joined a website, or whatever to get something for free? Do we really "care" about those things as long as we get that free item?
On the flip side, I do love thank you emails and cards from my customers, just because I like to know they were satisfied. I know I may have contradicted myself a bit, but I like to know I did a good job... maybe I should call it a feedback note, instead of a thank you. Again though, while I appreciate them, I don't expect them, especially formal ones. For those I never hear anything from, I assume that I did an okay job, because in this case no news is good news.
I have heard that some cake designers send each customer, not only brides/grooms, a thank you card for being part of their day/celebration and ask them for a review on google and/or weddingwire. I have heard some even offer a coupon or discount off a future purchase for a positive review on these sites. I am not either one of these folks.
While the thank you notes to customers seems like a nice gesture and supports good customer service, I just don't have the time, money, or desire to write out 2-6 thank you cards, address them, and mail them on a weekly basis. In addition to that, I just don't see the point. I don't expect a thank card from Lowe's or Target when I make a purchase from them. And yes, I understand it's different as you get to know some of the brides/clients very well and it's a special event, but I guess the practice just seems odd to me. I am sure it's my personality and dislike of thank you cards in general (I always tell folks not to send me thank you cards... I know they are thank you and I wouldn't have given them a gift/meal/whatever if I didn't want to and think they would be grateful) or maybe it is just my hatred of writing. Regardless, it's just not something I do or plan on doing and I guess I hope my work is enough to have them come back
As for "paying" for reviews, I just think it is sleezy. I want customers to leave reviews because they want to, not because they will get a free dozen cupcakes or whatever. How many of us have filled out a survey, joined a website, or whatever to get something for free? Do we really "care" about those things as long as we get that free item?
On the flip side, I do love thank you emails and cards from my customers, just because I like to know they were satisfied. I know I may have contradicted myself a bit, but I like to know I did a good job... maybe I should call it a feedback note, instead of a thank you. Again though, while I appreciate them, I don't expect them, especially formal ones. For those I never hear anything from, I assume that I did an okay job, because in this case no news is good news.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
